They’re cleaner, healthier and often cheaper in the long-term. Tell our legislators to act now to make every school and transit bus electric by 2030.
They’re cleaner, healthier and often cheaper in the long-term. Tell our legislators to act now to make every school and transit bus electric by 2030.
Higher Ed
Automatic Textbook Billing
Textbook publishers continue to add to the financial burden of college through a variety of tactics such as automatically charging students for textbooks on their tuition bill. Many of these automatic billing contracts fail to deliver real savings for students, reduce faculty and student choice, and give even more power to a handful of big publishing companies.
Public Health
EPA review insists glyphosate not linked to cancer
On Jan. 30, EPA finalized its review of the main active ingredient in Bayer/Monsanto's ubiquitous weedkiller, Roundup. Despite its designation as a probable human carcinogen by the World Health Organization's cancer research agency, the EPA reaffirmed its stance that glyphosate is not a carcinogen. Read more about our campaign to ban Roundup.
Solid Waste
New federal bill calls for U.S. to move beyond plastic
On Feb. 11, U.S. Sen. Tom Udall and U.S. Rep. Alan Lowenthal introduced legislation that would phase out unnecessary single-use plastics, which commonly end up clogging our landfills and polluting our environment. It also provides funding for recycling and composting infrastructure, and would shift the financial burden of managing waste and recyclables from town and city governments to the manufacturers.
Consumer Protection
More than 165,000 life-threatening infant sleepers recalled
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced on Jan. 29 that four companies have issued recalls for more than 165,000 inclined infant sleepers, which fail to meet the safe sleep guidelines recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The CPSC's recall is an important step forward — we're continuing to urge manufacturers to stop producing these sleepers for good.
We can't do it without you.
WISPIRG is your advocate for the public interest, speaking out for healthier, safer, more secure lives for all of us.
News & Research
Blog Post
What would it take to get you out of your car? WISPIRG director Peter Skopec's hometown of Vienna, Austria, is hoping that a rebate of up to 1,000 euros for individuals and families who buy a cargo bike will help convince a few hundred people to get out of the driver’s seat and into the saddle.
Report | WISPIRG Foundation
Our research found the majority of grocery stores fail to warn the public about hazardous food recalls. While they collect significant information about Americans shopping habits to sell us more food, they aren't doing enough to use that information to protect the public health.
News Release | U.S. PIRG Education Fund
Americans are not hearing about food recalls, and that communication breakdown is having serious repercussions for public health. A new report finds that most grocery stores -- which should be one of the best places to learn about recalls -- don’t make it easy for consumers to uncover this information.
News Release | U.S. PIRG
Congress must hold companies accountable for failing to protect condumers' confidential information.
Blog Post
On Wednesday, the full U.S. House is expected to vote on a credit reporting reform package, HR 3621, the Comprehensive CREDIT Act. Meanwhile, a PIRG analysis finds that half of all complaints to the CFPB in 2019 concerned credit reporting and the most-complained about companies, in the entire database, were the so-called Big 3 credit bureaus.
RESOURCE
Get consumer tips
Our advocates have compiled tips on how to choose a credit card or a bank, how to protect your identity, and more.